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Patented June 17. 1873.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL POMEROY AND WILLIAM POMEROY, OF NE'W"YORK, N. Y.,ASSIGN- OBS TO JULIUS R. POMEROY, DANL. POMEROY, AND MARY E. POMEROY,

OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN sTRUSSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 139,917, dated June 17, 1873; application filed May 9, 1873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, DANIEL POMEROY and WILLIAM POMEROY, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented cer tain Improvements in Trusses for Hernia, of which the following is a specification:

Our invention relates to the method of attaching the hernial pad of a truss to the truss band or spring, and has for its object to give to the pad elasticity and freedom of motion in all directions while providing for fixing its position on the spring and its lateral inclination without :interfering with its rotative or direct elasticity. To this end it consists in an India-rubber spring, together with a standard and slide, adjustable upon the truss band or spring by means of a single set-screw, as is hereinafter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a front view of part of the truss band or spring with the pad attached.- Fig. 2 is a section through a; w of Fig. 1. Fig. 3is a plan view of the pad with a portion cut away on the line 3 y of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a similar view of a modification, showing the India-rubber spring with four arms. Fig. 5 is a detailed sectional view of the standard and slide, showing a modified method of attaching the India-rubber spring to the standard.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

The pad, as shown, is made of rubber sponge, in which is set the plate A, hollowed at B for the working of the spring G, which is a rubber cord stretched over the cavity, the ends passing through the holes a. a in the plate, and secured by pins 1) b. The pad may be made of wood or other suitable material, and, if solid, the cavity B may be made directly in its substance, and the ends of the cord 0 may be secured by screws or other convenient means. The rubber spring may have two or more points of attachment to the pad. In Fig. 4 it is shown with four arms attached to the pad at four points, which is the preferable construction, as giving more uniformity to its motion. A diaphragm of rubber may be substituted for the rubber cord. Centrally fixed to this spring by means of the recesses c c and pin d, Figs. 2 and 3, or by passing the rubber spring through the holes 6 c, Fig. 5, or by other suitable means, so thatit will partake of any rotary motion of the pad, is the cylindrical standard D, projecting through a hole near the center of the upper plate E, which is firmly fastened to the lower plate or pad by screws 9 g. The standard D is hollowed to receive the cylindrical flanged slide F, the upper part of the bore being smaller, so as to form, with the flanged slide, a swiveljoint at h. The end of the standard is made to extend sufficiently over the hole 8 in the slide through which the truss band or spring passes, so that one surface of the said band shall rest upon the standard, and thus the pressure of the setscrew 70 will cause the joint h to bind and prevent the rotation of the pad.

When a cylindrical band or spring is used, as shown, the set-screw should be hardened and sharp, or cup-pointed, in order to secure the slide in any position. The action of the rubber spring will allow the standard to descend into the cavity B, and also give a rotary elasticity to the pad turning on the standard without permanent displacement. The hole in the plate E should be large enough to allow free motion of the pad in all directions.

We are aware that aspiral spring of wire has heretofore been used to produce an effect similar to that accomplished by our India-rubber spring; but the latter possesses this peculiar advantage, that the pressure exerted by it can be regulated and varied according to the amount of force required for the retention of the hernia in any particular case. To accomplish this it is only necessary that the spring should be stretched more or less in attaching it to the pad, the variation in its tension thus obtained having the effect to increase or diminish the amount of pressure necessary to force the standard D to the bottom of the cavity B. In the four-armed spring, which we ordinarily use, we are able thus readily to vary the pressure through a range of from one to six or seven pounds, and

the patient or surgeon can make the adjustment for himself, as the case may require.

We claim as our invention-- 1. The flanged slide F, standard D, and setallow of both direct and rotary elasticity of screw 70, in combination with the truss band the pad, substantially as shown.

or spring, substantially in the manner and for DAN L. POMEROY.

the purpose specified. WILLIAM POMEROY.

2. In combination with the elements of the Witnesses:

preceding claim, the rubber spring G, attached CHARLES F. MERRIss,

to the pad and standard in such a manner to ISABELL DOUGLASS. 

